New Orleans Treasures

I visited New Orleans for the first time last month, to attend the most exciting liquid event of the year -- Tales of the Cocktail! I will admit, I always thought that going to New Orleans would be quite frightening -- I have always harbored a deep fear of all things voodoo (which is weird because I'm not religious at all), and have been both compelled and afraid of this aspect of the city's reputation for a long time. The other prominent aspect of New Orleans is Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street, an overindulgence fest with trashy sugar drinks, boobs and beads, which I've always tried to avoid, because I'm a classy girl (quiet down now naysayers, there's no room for your banter here). So, anyway, I figured I might as well get over all these pretensions and check out the Big Easy, and what better time or excuse than a cocktail festival?



Unless you couldn't tell already, this post isn't about cocktails. This is the pre-cocktail post. The sights and smells and sounds of the city. Well, the sights anyway. New Orleans is flush with culture and a loud reverberating soul, and I found it to be quite exciting . In fact, it made me almost want to move there -- or at least move to a city with such a tangible identity and history, maybe one without the constant threat of impending hurricanes. I've always thought that Austin was unique and exciting, but returning from New Orleans made me feel like we're significantly lacking in a couple areas.

I don't get the "we've been here for hundreds of years" feeling from Austin. It doesn't have the colonial aesthetic that many East Coast cities boast. It's hard to describe the exact feeling I am trying to nail down here -- maybe it's the European influence that we're devoid of here in Austin. It feels more historic and rich to me than the wild western, "don't mess with Texas" vibrato. Don't get me wrong, I adore Austin and pretty much the entire package it has to offer (weirdness aside), but there is also a worldly part of me that misses the colonial vibes that abound in New Orleans also.

(I adored this girl. Cycling through the French Quarter, looking very "Breathless.")

Anyway, aside from the delish cajun food we enjoyed for every meal (crawfish abounds!), the city was full of tiny nooks, treasures and gorgeous architectural details that made me salivate. We stumbled into this "junk" store, and found some particularly awesome treasures. In retrospect, I definitely should have made some thrifty purchases that day...




LOVE LOVE LOVE dirty old bottles. It's like they dug them up right out of the earth!






Anyway, to wrap it up in a generic way, NOLA was completely engaging and beautiful, and if given the opportunity, I will definitely go back. I want the chance to dig deeper into the culture, explore some of the music traditions, even yes go into some voodoo shops and check that out also. More to come later!